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Operation Black Steel
The blinding rays of the sun shined brightly on the two people walking along a path on of the tallest peak in Ishgar. One male and the other female. The male, named Aaron Fox was a young man of around twenty-two year of age, with silver hair and blue eyes. His usual silver suit that he wore was kept loose on his body, several of the buttons on it had been undone to allow him to breath better in the already thin air of the mountain. They had been walking for a few hours now as they traversed the monstrous mountain. The top of which held the mage's objective. The city-state of Othrys, had an ancient feud going with his guild Dragon Gunfire, although that was a while ago he wasn't unsure of what would happen. However it held one of the most precious metals that could be found in Ishgar that Aaron intended to coat the swords that he kept on his side with. When he looked back he noticed the girl was a little bit behind him, causing him to stop and walk a bit back. "I'm sorry that I made you come here. However I'm sure it will be a quick mission with rewards that will be good for both of us." Said Aaron with a small smile on his face. Emmeline smiles, "No problem, Aaron." Truth be told, she was happy to be able to travel around, the chance to get to go to another country being too hard to pass up. "What's got you so interested in Black Steel anyhow? How do you even know it actually is as great as it says on the tin? I mean, we are getting it from previous enemies." "The black armor that Jason wears." He said as he thought back to his and Jason's matches. "It's made of the stuff. It's able to tank my strongest spells with little to no effect. And on the point if the feud....well just keep our guild marks concealed and we should be fine." He said with a hopeful smile. Emme nods despite not knowing a great deal about the Jason character. She knew of him, sure, but mostly from the Grand Magic Games, not any personal interactions. "Well, I hope this goes as smoothly as you anticipate. It'd be a shame if Garrison had to get involved, eh?" She jabs her thumb at the young man walking behind them, who thus far, has seemed more like her shadow than anything. He was only in his human form now because his halberd form was less than friendly and she didn't want to attract unnecessary attention while in a foreign country. Aaron looked at the young man, acknowledging his presence. He had never been around a living weapon before. It was a new experience for him. Although he treated his swords like they were alive, he figured it was different from them actually being alive. He wished he had a way to hide them but was fine with adjusting their positions so that they both rested on his left hip. "It should. Like I said, keep the guild marks hidden and we should be fine." His voice was calmer than he actually felt but he kept it well hidden. Looking at Garrison he smiled, "How are you enjoying the guild so far? I heard Matthew gave you guys quite the welcome." Garrison shrugged his shoulders, "I preferred the Frei residence, she has too much free reign here on her own." Emme looks at him indignantly, her cheeks puffing up. "You're a jackass, you know that?" she shoots back. "Yeah, well, you're a pain in my neck," he says with an exasperated sigh. "Dragon Gunfire is fine though, she dragged me into the fight with Matthew because she couldn't win otherwise, I would have liked to keep on napping." Despite how much time he spent napping, undereye bags hung persistently, darkening his skin. "Don't mind him, he's just a fun sucker. Dragon Gunfire is great, there are so many strong people. And being so close to Crocus—" "Far from home, I think you mean," he cuts in, a smug smile stretching his lips. "You see what I mean?" she says, looking back towards Aaron. Aaron couldn't help but chuckle at their antics and suddenly feel a sense of relief that his swords weren't alive. If anything his dragon mentor Etherion had told him about his parents, whose bones helped to make up the skeleton of the swords, than they would have been a bigger pain then Garrison apparently tried to be. Although it was clear that he cared deeply for his master who more than likely felt the same way. "It's good to see new people here. I'm relatively new myself so if you have any questions than feel free to ask." Garrison gave Emme a triumphant look at his laugh, leaving her to simmer in her temper. "Thank you," she says, glaring at her partner before returning to Aaron with a cheery smile. "When did you join the guild?" "Hmm less than a year ago. Probably some 8-9 months. It's been a good time. Lots of nice people. And strong people." As he spoke he couldn't help think to his first meeting with Jason and their first fight. Jason was easily one of the strongest in the guild. He looked ahead of him, acknowledging that they were almost at the front gates of the city. "We are almost there." He said. His demeanor suddenly shift from calm to tense then back to calm. He heard of the feud the city had with Dragon Gunfire, and prayed it wouldn't come out. Emmeline smiles, glad to know she had judged the people of Dragon Gunfire, as few as she had met, accurately. As they entered the city, she looked around with curiosity, searching out the famous Black Steel. She had little to go on for appearance, only assuming the shop would excitedly advertise such a precious metal. Aaron as well looked through the various building's they passed. Looking for what might be a smithing shop. He shared his companions hopes that there would be a sign for the black steel he needed but was unsure of it. After a few more minutes of walking he noticed a blacksmith shop and tugged on Emme's arm. "There. It doesn't have a sign but maybe we can at least get some information." He said as he started off toward the shop. Emme looked through the wares of the shop, quickly growing bored. While she enjoyed wielding her halberd, she didn't much care for the logistics that went into making or comparing weaponry. "Find it yet?" she calls over to Aaron. Looking around the shop Aaron found various weapons and metals that heavily interested. Even a scythe blade that made him think of his friend Genisus. 'I should go visit him...' He thought to himself as he glanced over the curved blade. However he was unable to find anything with black steel. Finally deciding to just ask the vendor himself he looked over at the front of the store and saw the man. Walking over he rested an elbow on the counter, "Excuse me. Do you by any chance sell black steel here? Or know a place around that does?" He asked. The vendor looked at him. "There's only one place you can get Black Steel in Othrys. And it's distributed at the royal palace. I'm still waiting for another shipment, but it won't be here for another week." "The royal palace huh?" He said mostly to himself as he nodded. "Thanks I appreciate the help." He said as he walked back over the Emme. "Which do you want first? The bad news? The really bad news? Or the Good news?" Emme put her finger to her chin. "Go in order of worst to best news," she said. Aaron thought for a second about the order at which he needed to go before speaking. "The worst is we need to go to the Royal Palace for the Black Steel. The bad news being he doesn't get any for a week. The good news is if all goes well we should be out of here before dinner." Emme takes a moment to process the information. She knew the Fioren king was a fairly friendly man, prone to invite various mages into his palace. She knew little of Caelum besides their conflict with Dragon Gunfire. "Do you think we'll be able to even get close to the palace?" She asks, generally curious about how he planned to get the metal now that it was only found in the Royal Palace. Aaron thought for a moment, he was unsure of that other than walking until an idea occurred to him. He dug into the pocket of his jacket, and then pulled out a glowing red gem that was about the size of his palm. "I brought this just incase. I was hoping not to need to use it...but I don't see why not." He handed the gem to her, there was a draconic carving along the side of it. "I'll make a trade." Emme studied the gem, turning it over in her hand a few times to examine the design. "What is it?" she asks, curious about the stone's uses and why the government of Caelum might be interested in it. "Fire Dragon Slayer Lacrima." He simply responded as he watched her mull is over in her hand. "My mentor gave it to me in case I needed something to barter with. Looks like it was a good idea." "Hey!" called a young boy on top of a roof. "Whatcha got there?" He jumped down, walking up to Emme and Aaron. "It looks pretty. Whaddya want for it?" Emme turned to the young man. "What's it to you?" she asks, clenching her hand around the gem to hide it from view. He seemed all too familiar with them and she wondered if perhaps Aaron knew him, looking to the older man to shoo the blond away. "Perhaps I can offer you something you'd like for that," said the boy. "Plus a little extra. I know where you can get some Black Steel." Aaron held up his hand as the kid spoke. He hadn't met him before but quickly realized that he was more than likely a scammer. And with the power that could be found in the lacrima he had, he couldn't let it go. "Don't worry about it little man. Nothing that concerns you." Taking the lacrima back from Emme he looked back at her. "Ready to get going?" Emme nods, taking one final glance at the blond before following Aaron. Garrison seemed less inclined to move on, waiting behind to talk to him. "What do you know about Black Steel?" he asks, wondering how he even knew they were searching for the powerful metal. The boy grinned with a large smile. "It's basically the strongest metal in Earth Land. It's as strong as Adamantine, but with the added bonus of nullifying magical intangibility. At the same time, its strength allows for it to endure even the most durable of cutting techniques such as the Blades of Wrath, utilized by one of this country's very best Mages, Adze The Cleaver. If you're a merchant or trader of any kind in Caelum, you know plenty about magical metals and lacrima, it is our primary export." Garrison nods, "Are you a merchant? Would you happen to know any place to get it here?" He's skeptical, yet open-minded. Emme, having slowed down, tugged on Aaron's sleeve to get his attention, wanting to know what Garrison was figuring out. "A wandering one, but a merchant nonetheless. While it's true that the the smithing shops in town won't be getting any Black Steel for the next week, I can most certainly get some for you guys today." Aaron turned on his heel as he had been using his Dragon Slayer hearing to listen in on the conversation that Garrison had started. Walking back over to the two men he looked at the younger one and asked a simple question. "How long were you listening to use in order to know we were looking for it?" "Oh not too long," responded the boy. "I mean, why else would two foreigners come to Othrys?" Garrison crosses his arms. "Alright, well where do you recommend we go to get Black Steel? I'm sure the government has more important matters to attend to then giving us some metal, so why don't you help us out." "Oh I'll help you out," said the boy, his grin getting even larger, "but you gotta pay me first. Nothing shy of 10,000 jewels." He hold out his hand, asking for the money. "10,000?!" Aaron asked indignantly. "Asking a little much their kid. Don't want to overstep." As Aaron spoke he watched the kid, his hand reached into the same pocket with the Lacrima and he though fr a moment. "Tell ya what. Show us the Black Steel first. I don't have the money but I got something worth more." ”Well, while i’m more than willing to barter, I need to at least know what that bargaining tool is before I can uphold my side of the deal. I’ll judge whether or not it’s worth 10,000.” Aaron stopped pulling out the Lacrima for only a moment as he realized his curiosity was getting the better of him. Every so slowly he made it look like the gem was stuck in his pocket so he moved his left arm to rest on his swords and he grabbed the bottom of his jacket. With the Lacrima now out and his arm still on the sword he showed it to the boy. "Dragon Slayer lacrima." "Oh yeah," said the boy, "that's worth far more than 10,000 jewels. I'll gladly take that off your hands for you." Out of nowhere a bolt of lightning flew through Aaron's chest, followed immediately by it making a beeline for Emme. As Aaron was stuck in shock the boy grabbed the lacrima from his hand. "Pleasure doing business with ya." He ran away, the lightning bolt following him and reentering a bottle he had concealed in his jacket. Garrison was unable to react in time to save his companions from the bolt of lightning but was able to draw it away from them shortly thereafter, lessening the length of their paralysis. As soon as Emme was free, she began chasing after the boy. "Hey! Do you get your sick kicks from robbing people?" she shouts, waving her hand, in which Garrison transforms into a halberd to appear in. Despite the other boy's speed, she's able to catch up rather quickly, but there's still a fair amount of distance between them. She is prepared to throw her halberd, but the busy shopping district made her hesitate, as she knew Garrison would transform midflight just to prevent damages. The boy turned back to her while running backwards, marking her with his eyes. "No. I just prefer it to risking my own skin." He uncorked his bottle again, and the lightning bolt flew out towards her with incredible speed. He turned forward again, picking up the pace while she would be forced to deal with his lightning fast attack. Aaron stumbled back as he felt the lightning, taken completely by surprise. However he wasn't in shock for long as he took off after Emme and the boy. It didn't take long for him to catch up with Emme and he was ready to draw his sword if it meant getting the Lacrima back. Emme swings her halberd, quickly absorbing the lightning which is safely directed to the ground. However, the fact that he had made eye contact with her had been his mistake. Her magic surged towards him, the Charm taking over his mind. If anything, it would be a temporary distraction as he was caught in the young girl's spell, allowing her and Aaron to catch up to him. The lightning bolt returned to Gene, reentering his bottle. He shook his head, clearing his mind. They were gaining on him. That's when he saw a person far away in the distance. "Sorry about this sir, but I need something to lock onto to." He uncorked his bottle, jumping onto the lightning bolt as it flew away at high speeds. He laughed as he appeared to be free from his pursuers, until his lightning bolt seemed to hit a wall. The man, who was wearing a cloak, had held out his hand in front of him. Before the boy could even recuperate, he was grabbed by the throat. "So this is the one that's been swindling people lately," said the cloaked figure. "No wonder local law enforcement has been having trouble with him." He threw him towards the ground just as Emme and Aaron caught up. The man sniffed the air. "Dragon Slayer..." Aaron looked at the man in front of them. Noticing that he caught their thief. He was about to say something when he heard the man say what he said and suddenly he realized something. This man smelled different, stronger than the boy. Taking a step in front of Emme as protection he extended his hand, "Thanks for catching him for us sir." As he looked at the boy he reached down and took the Lacrima back, placing it safely in his pocket. He sniffed the air again. "You bear the scent of one from Fiore. Not only that, but a scent I have not smelled in some time... William Mercury." At this Aaron realized who, more accurately what the man was. "Dragon Slayer as well..." Not wanting to seem hostile to the man he bowed his head and extended his hand. "I am from Fiore, my name is Soren." The fake name he gave was a hope to through any suspicions of bad intentions away and be hospitable. He leaned in towards him. "Don't lie to me," said the man. "Humans release more adrenaline when they lie, not to mention their heart rate increases. You should know that you can't lie to another Dragon Slayer. You two are coming with me." "It was worth a shot. Fine. My name is Aaron J. Fox. I hope we can settle this without anything bad happening." The way Aaron spoke, with a calm yet cold tone was a point from the Dragon Slayer to assert that he didn't want anything to happen in public. "If you truly know William Mercury, then it just might stop me from arresting you." He removed his cloak, revealing his monstrous appearance. He had sharp ears, blue skin, and white hair, covered in a red suit and white armor. The symbol for the current ruling party marked his chest: The Legion Under the Black Sun. Aaron looked the man up and down. He could feel the electricity pulsing from the man's body, and sniffing the air he could tell he was more than likely a Dragon Slayer with an electrical element. Taking notice of the guild mark and what the man said, Aaron undid his jacket and opened it to reveal his guild mark on his chest. "Yes I know him." "Then you won't mind coming with us?" He said this, yet there was no one else in sight. The civilians had already cleared the street after seeing their great commander enter the premises. Aaron looked back at Emme to make sure she was ok, then turned back to the Dragon Slayer. "Depends on what the where is. I won't do anything that endangers my comrade." There was a look of determination and meaning in his eyes. But there was something nagging him in the back of his mind. The man said "us" as if there were more people, and for the life of him, he couldn't sense more. "Would telling you that you'd be going to the Royal Palace make you any more compliant?" Aaron thought for a moment about the man's offer. If that was where the material he needed was then it couldnt be that bad if he went to get it. Looking to Emme he nodded and turned back to the man. "Alright. Fine." "Excellent. Largo, Reaper, stand down." Out from Aaron's shadow came a man with long, black hair and red eyes with black sclera, the Lunar Eclipse Eyes. From behind Emme, a man suddenly materialized, holding a pistol towards the back of her head. He turned the safety on and holstered his sidearm, it disappearing back in his Requip dimension. "Shall we then." Aaron was genuinely shocked that he hadn't sensed the men as they appeared from their position, especially the man in his own shadows. 'That's a trick that I've seen hundreds of time....this guy might be better than Genisus...' He thought as he looked back at the other Dragon Slayer in front of them and nodded, however his arm had never left its position on his blades. "Lead the way." Alexius led from the front, with Largo and Reaper leading them from behind, the former of which was dragging the boy using his shadows. Their formation made sure that if they tried to run, Emme and Aaron wouldn't get far. It didn't take long before they before they were upon the largest structure in Othrys, the royal palace. Tall guards allowed the five mages passage onto the premises. They were led through the catacombs of the castle, until they found themselves in the throne room. The king, however, was the most surprising. They did not see a regal being sitting in the throne, they saw a young man in a track suit lounging on it. By his side stood three being, tiger-colored dog, a horned red and lavender creature, and a tall, purple man. "Oh hey," said the king. "You captured the thief. You forgot to mention that before." The boy started squirming in the shadows. "You must be Aaron, but I'm not sure I know who the cute one is." Emme smiled, bowing at the compliment, a simple remnant of her upbringing. "Thank you, sir," she says, before looking back up at the king. "My name's Emmeline. And you are?" "Only the king of this great nation," he answered, standing up from his throne. "Jupiter Saturnalia, Third King of the Caelum Monarchy at your service. These are my bodyguards, Noah and Altar, and my general Jaco. I see you've already met Alexius, Largo, and Reaper. They're some of the highest ranking soldiers in my army. You won't find a stronger mage in the country." Upon hearing the man speak Aaron bowed his head in respect. Looking at the men that were introduced he looked at Alexius and nodded his respect to the Dragon Slayer, if he was praised by the King of the country than he was sure he was a person he wouldn't want to cross. Looking back to the king he spoke. "I apologies for the intrusion, me and Emme were just in the country looking to acquire black steel and we got caught up with the thief." "So he tried to rob you too," said Jupiter. "Well, if you're a member of Dragon Gunfire I'm sure we can accommodate you. Caelum has some of the richest deposits of ore in Ishgar. DG and I go way back. Familial roots and all." "Familial?" Asked the young Dragon Slayer. He hadn't known of anyone in his guild that was relate to the king, although. "You do smell a little familiar actually..." However he couldn't totally place it, the powerful mages.in the room were trowing off his sense a bit. "Why, of course," said Jupiter. "Aether Cade is my cousin, and Jason Gaebolg..." he paused for dramatic effect, "is my brother!" "Hey pals, I know this must be touching and all, but we came here for steel, not chitchat." Emme crosses her arms over her chest and Garrison smacks her in the back of the head. "That was rude," he says, sighing. "She has a point though. I'm sure Mr. Saturnalia has more important things to attend to than small talk, so it might be beneficial to point us in the direction of the steel." He was laid back, speaking low to ensure it didn't sound like a command. "Please, Mr. Saturnalia was my father. Just call me Jupiter. And actually, I don't have anything to do today," said Jupiter. Jaco grunted. "Alright I do. Since you're so adamant about that Jaco, you can coat his swords in Black Steel." In an instant Jaco was next to Aaron, holding out his hand for his swords. Aaron was surprised by the sudden action of Jupiter, however he didn't want to be disrespectful to either of the men, nor did he want to start anything with the kingdom. Undoing the belt loops keeping his swords to his hip he handed them to the man standing next to him and the nodded to him and the King. "Thank you." "Graziate signorus," said Jupiter in the native Caelan tongue. "We'll have your swords ready in a few hours. Altar, make sure they're well taken care of." "What about you sir," said Altar in an almost sarcastic tone. "I'll be fine," said Jupiter, almost ignoring it. "I have Noah. Go ahead." Altar stepped down from his post, walking up to the Mages. "Follow me." Aaron moved out of the way of the purple man as he walked by them. Looking at Emme he shrugged his shoulders and held his hand out, indicating for her to follow first. "Ladies first as they say." "Oh yeah, thanks," she says, feeling none too eager to go behind the towering purple man. "Where are we goin'?" "There are guest chambers on one of the upper floors of the castle," said Altar. "You'll be staying there until Proserpina has finished coating your swords." "Guess that wont be to bad." He said as he followed along. The stairway around him looked amazing and he was interested in seeing how the rooms were decorated. The room wasn't very elaborate. It was light grey, with two beds, a night stand with lamp on top of it, and a dresser. It was rather reminiscent of a hotel room. "Wait here," said Altar, ushering them into the room before closing the door behind them. "He seemed in a rush to shove us here," she says offhandedly, before jumping back onto one of the beds. It was springy enough that she bounced up a little after landing. "They spared no expense with these beds," she grumbles, Garrison rolling his eyes, "I've seen homeless people with beds better than these." "You sure like to complain," Garrison says, and she sighs, all exaggerated and drawn out. "Do you see what I deal with, Aaron? He's so mean to me! And for no reason, I might add." Garrison snorts and she throws one of the pillows at him, which hits his side and slumps to the floor. Unable to do much more than laugh as his friends actions with each other. "I have to admit, watching you guys has been fun." Patting the pillow next to him he saw dust and a moth fly out of it and began to cough. "Well, i guess i wont be laying my head down here." "How long do you think it'll take for them to prepare your swords? I hope it doesn't take forever. This mission has been boring. Aside from when that kid tried to steal from us. That was fun." Emme pauses frequently enough that one might think she would stop talking, only to continue some moments later. "Hey, Aaron, do you think we'll do anything fun like that again?" Aaron thought for a second reclining on the soft chair he had taken. He had enjoyed the mission so far, and the company of Emme even more. "I wouldn't mind that. I am enjoyed myself really, and can't help but enjoy the interaction between you and Garrison." Emme rolled her eyes, "You're the first one to enjoy this fun sucker. You can have him if you want." "If only I could be free," he says, hiding his mouth with his hand as though it would stop her from hearing him. "Anyway," she begins, pointedly ignoring Garrison. "This Black Steel crap is super strong so why don't they just sell it all over Earthland? They'd make a lot more money off of it that way." Several hours had passed since Altar had left them there. By the time Jupiter had knocked on the door, the sun had already set. Jupiter entered, with Jaco standing behind him. The swords were nowhere to be seen, however. "So apparently Altar locked you in here. I hope that wasn't a problem." Aaron looked up from playing cards with Emme and Garrison and chuckled a bit. "No, I don't think any of us noticed." "Well then," began Jupiter. He motioned towards Jaco, who pulled Aaron's swords out of a hole in space. Their new black blades glistened brightly due o the light in the room. "Say hello to your new swords." Category:RP Category:Roleplay Category:Black Dwarf Star Category:Aaniimee